If you have kids then you know what ‘High School Musical’ is. The pop Disney sensation has taken America’s youth by storm, selling millions of DVDs and CDs in the U. S. alone. It is a bizarre phenomenon as this musical powerhouse comes not from MTV, VH1, or even Nickelodeon, it comes from Disney. Ten years ago, if someone was to tell you that the Disney channel would be THE hot spot for what kids ages 5 – 15 are watching, no one would believe you. Disney used to be just for younger kids, mostly just showing cartoons and slapstick humor, now they are marketing to children as old as freshmen in high school (if not older). The turnaround is unbelievable, and still takes a little getting used to for people in my generation, who saw Disney channel as just a cute network to watch cartoons sometimes. So, is’ High School Musical 3,’ the first of the films to get a theatrical release any good? Well, it’s good for your kids. It offers great dance sequences, colorful songs, and has nothing risqué or offensive in it. Is it any good for adults? That all depends, do you still watch ‘Saved by the Bell?’

‘High School Musical’ has much of the same humor, plot, and even characters that the popular Saturday morning TV show had to offer. The plots were laughable, the characters were clichés, but it had a positive, corny charm to it that didn’t really make it good, but it did make it somewhat entertaining. The delight of ‘Saved by the Bell’ and ‘High School Musical’ is that it doesn’t represent high school at all, but rather a junior high or grade school perception of what high school might be like. Everyone looks fabulous, the basketball team always wins, and the biggest problem is figuring out how you’re going to ask your date to the prom. There’s no mention of the constant pressure kids get from homework, teachers, or just trying to fit in, this world is a fun, carefree place where kids can break into song when they have a happy emotion. I guess that’s why the film works, many of these movies and shows with such a goofy perception of school are almost as corny as a musical, so it only figures to literally make it a musical.

The film’s about a spirited bunch of misfits who are coaxed into doing a high school musical about their senior year. I have not seen the two films before this, but I am guessing they have all been reluctantly in a high school musical before and ultimately ended up enjoying it. The main focus is on the couple Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) who are in a dilemma about what college they’re going to go to and how often they will see each other. That’s a legit problem, but it’s rarely discussed between the love songs and googly eyes that they make at each other. The other focus is on the musical itself, which all the high schoolers find they are in again to help give the theater department one last send off to their years in school. Of course Troy and Gabriella are cast in the leads, but that doesn’t stop the brother and sister team of Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) to try and steal the spotlight. Niether of these characters are villains (thank God), they’re just sneaky and diabolical, which is something of a relief after seeing several teen aimed dramas shelf all their problems on one person who just wants to be an evil jerk. It’s nice to see characters in a film like this that do bad things but are not inherently bad themselves.

The rest of the film is watching the kids prepare for the musical, sing about how happy they are, and wonder if prom is really gonna be as glamorous as they all expect. Pretty light? Yes. Painful? Not really. I’ll admit there were several parts of ‘High School Musical 3’ where I literally burst out into laughter into laughter at scenes that I’m sure were supposed to be taken seriously, and yet I couldn’t help but enjoy it. Why? Because it’s all innocent. It took me back to the time when I thought high school would be like that when I would finally go. Of course it was very little like that, but my mindset had changed by that point so that I didn’t care, I had more important things on my mind, like tests and finals. ‘High School Musical 3’ indulges all that wishful thinking and lets children imagine exactly what they want to imagine. I guess it’s similar to Santa Claus, yes he is not real, but believing in him was so much fun and so delightful that we continue to tell our kids that he does exist. ‘High School Musical’ works on a similar level.

On top of that, the dance scenes and set designs are a ton of fun, very well choreographed and performed. Sometimes they even tie in to what the characters are going through very effectively. There’s a scene where Troy is torn about what he wants to do with his future, this is represented by a locker room literally spinning 360 degrees as he dances along the sides like Fred Astaire. That’s actually pretty clever. While the characters are blasé and the songs sound like the Backstreet Boys light, there is a strange kind of enjoyment in seeing kids actually perform a musical and have it be popular, with no swear words or raunchy material. I suppose if I was watching this as a kid I would enjoy it too. As an adult I can enjoy the chorography and set designs, but not much else. So I guess in essence it really is a perfect kids movie because it literally is just made for kids, and it’s hard to fault it on that.

So who’ll like it? Well, kids, I’m guessing between 5 – 15. The older you get from there and the chances there are of the person not enjoying it. I guess if you have an appreciation for dance sequences or high school nostalgic fluff, you might enjoy this movie as well.

Who won’t like it? Anyone with a cynical mind. There are a million clichés, plot holes, and cardboard cutout characters that will send you screaming down the aisles. However, if you can use that cynical mind to enjoy something for its sheer camp value, you might get a few yucks out of this.

My thoughts? ‘High School Musical 3’ isn’t for me, but it wasn’t made for me. It was made for kids, and kids will probably enjoy it. There’s no psychological drama or understanding of what an average teenager goes through, but I don’t think there’s supposed to be. This movie is fluff, and it knows it, so rather than try to hide it, they embrace it in all of its corniness. I give credit to the film for knowing what it is and not trying to be something it’s not. If the film had thrown in a death in the family or some sort of controversial issue, it would’ve failed miserably. So believe it or not I give it credit for not trying to go deeper, it simply gives us exactly what it promises, pretty high schoolers singing, nothing more, nothing less. How can I fault a film that delivers exactly what it advertises? I can’t, I won’t, and I’m not.

Douglas Darien is a featured writer for Xomba.com. Read the rest of his work here or visit his website www.thatguywiththeglasses.com.